Nokia N900 can run unmodified webOS games with a little elbow grease

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It can sometimes be frustrating when you buy an Android handset, then see that some great new game you’re just dying to try is only available on iOS. Android gamers have it great, though, compared to customers stuck on webOS or Symbian… both mobile operating systems burdened with far less plentiful app marketplaces.

Interestingly, though, it appears there is some degree of app cross-compatibility between webOS and NokiaN900 devices. Check out the video above, in which the N900 runs an unmodified webOS binary with aplomb.

How’s it accomplished? Well, as it turns out, both Nokia’s N900 and the Palm Pre are pretty similar in that they both run SDL 1.2. It took a little doing, but because both phones use the same framework, a plucky user was able to figure out how to get EA‘s Sims 3 and Need for Speed to run on the Nokia N900, no webOS emulator required.

It’s not all smooth sailing, of course. The Pre is a multitouch device and the N900 isn’t, so these games are hardly playable. Still, it’s an interesting proof of concept: we just wish this cross-compatibility existed between a couple of mobile operating systems that mattered. iOS games playable on Android and vice versa? Yes, please.